Social Psychology

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Generations of readers have learned social psychology from this bookit provides balanced, up-to-date, and accurate coverage of basic topics, research, and theories. Balancing cutting-edge findings and classic work in the field, the user-friendlySocial Psychologyshows how its methods and theories can be applied to everyday experiences and current social issues.Interesting and easy to read and understand, the topics covered are broad in scope but not overwhelming; these include: perception of people and events; attitudes and influence; social interactions and relationships; helping and hurting others; social psychology and health; and social psychology and the law.Teachers, health professionals, lawyers, business leaders, and people in many different professions will find Social Psychologyto be a valuable reference and handbook.

Shelley E. Taylor is professor of psychology at the University of California, Los Angeles. Dr. Taylor received her B.A. in psychology from Connecticut College and her Ph.D. in social psychology from Yale University. She taught at Harvard University until 1979, when she joined the faculty at UCLA. She has won a number of awards for her work, including the Donald Campbell Award for Distinguished Scientific Contribution to Social Psychology, the Outstanding Scientific Contribution Award in Health Psychology, the Distinguished Scientist Award from the American Psychological Association, and the William James Fellow Award from the American Psychological Society. She has served on the editorial boards of many journals. Her other books include Social Cognition (with Susan T. Fiske), Health Psychology, Positive Illusions, and The Tending Instinct. She has published numerous articles and book chapters in social cognition, health psychology, and social neuroscience.

Letitia Anne Peplau is professor of psychology at the University of California, Los Angeles. Dr. Peplau received her B.A. in psychology from Brown University and her Ph.D. in social psychology from Harvard University. Since 1973, she has taught at UCLA, where she has served as chair of the social psychology program and co-director of the Center for the Study of Women. She was elected president of the International Society for the Study of Personal Relationships and received the Distinguished Scientific Achievement Award from the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality. Her other books include Loneliness: A Sourcebook of Current Theory, Research, and Therapy (edited with Daniel Perlman), Close Relationships (with Harold H. Kelley et al.), and Gender, Culture, and Ethnicity (edited with Rose Veniegas et al.) She has published numerous articles and book chapters on such topics as loneliness, friendship, gender roles in heterosexual dating and marriage, the relationships of lesbians and gay men, and the development of sexual orientation.

David O. Sears is professor of psychology and political science, former dean of social sciences, and current director of the Institute for Social Science Research at the University of California, Los Angeles. Dr. Sears received his B.A. in history from Stanford University and his Ph.D. in psychology from Yale University. Since 1962, he has taught at UCLA. He has been elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, president of the Society for the Advancement of Socio-Economics, and president of the International Society of Political Psychology. His other books include Public Opinion (with Robert E. Lane), The Politics of Violence: The New Urban Blacks and the Watts Riot (with John B. McConahay), Tax Revolt: Something for Nothing in California (with Jack Citrin), Political Cognition (edited with Richard R. Lau), Racialized Politics: The Debate About Racism in America (edited with Jim Sidanius and Lawrence Bobo), and the Oxford Handbook of Political Psychology (edited with Leonie Huddy and Robert Jervis). He has published articles and book chapters on a wide variety of topics, including attitude change, mass communications, ghetto riots, political socialization, voting behavior, racism in politics, and the politics of multiculturalism.

Preface

xi

About The Authors

xvii

Theories and Methods in Social Psychology

2

(30)

In The News: Foul Play Among College Sports Fans

2

(1)

The Social Psychological Approach

3

(2)

Historical Roots of Social Psychology

5

(1)

Theories in Social Psychology

6

(8)

Methods in Social Psychology

14

(12)

Research Highlights: Meta-Analysis in Social Psychology

26

(1)

Research Ethics

27

(5)

Part One

Person Perception: Forming Impressions of Others

32

(32)

In The News: Man on a Leash or Woman Holding a Leash?

32

(2)

What Information Do We Use?

34

(5)

Integrating Impressions

39

(4)

Motivated Person Perception

43

(3)

Attributing the Causes of Behavior

46

(7)

Accuracy of Judgments

53

(3)

Nonverbal Communication

56

(3)

The Problem of Deception

59

(5)

Social Cognition: Understanding the Social World

64

(32)

In The News: Do Increasing Casualties Justify a Pullout or a Continued Presence?

64

(1)

Social Inference

65

(6)

Emotion and Inference

71

(5)

Research Highlights: ``I'll Get It Done by Friday'': The Planning Fallacy in Action

76

(2)

Schemas

78

(2)

Schematic Processing

80

(2)

Mental Shortcuts: Using Cognitive Heuristics

82

(4)

Which Schemas Are Used?

86

(4)

When Are Schemas Used?

90

(1)

Schemas in Action

91

(5)

The Self: Learning About the Self

96

(36)

In The News: Governor Girlie Man

96

(1)

What Is the Self?

97

(2)

Where Does Self-Knowledge Come From?

99

(8)

Aspects of Self-Knowledge

107

(2)

Self-Regulation

109

(5)

Motivation and the Self

114

(4)

Research Highlights: Is Self-Enhancement Associated with a Healthy or Unhealthy Stress Response? A Social Neuroscience Approach

118

(4)

Social Comparison Theory

122

(4)

Self-Presentation

126

(4)

Culture and the Self: A Comment

130

(2)

Part Two

Attitudes and Attitude Change

132

(36)

In the News: Sweet Talking the Kids? How Persuasion May Not Be So Hidden

132

(1)

Defining Attitudes

133

(1)

Theories of Attitudes

134

(13)

Persuasion

147

(12)

Attitude Change over Time

159

(1)

Attitudes and Behavior

160

(8)

Prejudice

168

(36)

In The News: The Israelis and Palestinians

168

(2)

Components of Group Antagonism

170

(5)

Learning Prejudice

175

(2)

Motives for Prejudice

177

(4)

Cognitive Bases of Prejudice

181

(5)

Social Identity

186

(4)

The Changing Face of Prejudice

190

(6)

Research Highlights: Measuring Implicit Stereotypes

196

(1)

Reducing Prejudice

197

(7)

Social Influence

204

(28)

In The News: Where Have All the Susans Gone?

204

(1)

Conformity

205

(10)

Compliance

215

(9)

Research Highlights: What a Coincidence! How Incidental Similarity Affects Compliance

224

(1)

Obedience to Authority

225

(7)

Part Three

Interpersonal Attraction

232

(32)

In The News: The New Love Connection: Finding Romance Online

232

(1)

The Need to Belong

233

(4)

Attachment in Children and Adults

237

(3)

Liking: The Bases of Interpersonal Attraction

240

(11)

Mate Selection

251

(1)

Research Highlights: Does the Internet Build Social Connections or Increase Social Isolation?